More Than a Memory
by Nadare
Summary: John knew he wasn't her father. Not really. But every creature had a right to live and John was merely exercising his. It's not like he had asked to be pulled from his daughter's head and turned into a predator. A character study one-shot set in Season 2 (No End House) before the finale.


_A/N: This show had no business being as good as it was, and I'm going to miss it._

[Written on and off between 7-2-19 to 7-5-19]

Tags: Father-Daughter Relationship, Supernatural Elements, Memory Loss, Cannibalism, Character Study, Pre-Season Finale, No-End House, Season/Series 02, One Shot

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"_**More Than a Memory"**_

Everything was so much simpler when John was eating.

When they first returned to the House and the way back to the real world had closed behind them, Margot, Seth, and John had sat down, hashing out the terms of their mutual coexistence. Obviously scared, but trapped with nowhere to go, Margot had agreed to feed John rather than let him slowly starve to death.

Memories she wouldn't miss, small moments that didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. Seeing a movie with friends, the first taste of a certain food, how a cat's tongue felt on her hand. Yet in no time at all, John had eaten everything minor within Margot's memory.

She, reluctantly, began to surrender larger parts of herself. Over time, Margot entirely forgot about the outside world, relying solely on journals she wrote in every night to remind herself of its existence. The House supplied Margot with an unlimited amount of them as if mocking her.

There were only three things she refused to give up: Jules, Seth, and himself. The last was both a blessing and a curse. Though it was his fault Margot was there, she still didn't want to lose John.

John knew he wasn't her father. Not really. But every creature had a right to live and John was merely exercising his. It's not like he had asked to be pulled from his daughter's head and turned into a predator.

He loved Margot dearly, but when the hunger rode him, consuming all his senses, he could hardly think past the ache in his gut. John automatically reached for her, for Margot's oh so precious gifts.

She could never understand the allure of them. How they melted on his tongue and infused his entire body with warmth as John relived the memory she gave him. In those moments, he truly _was_ Margot's father, reminiscing in their shared past. In her triumphs, in her carefree smiles.

But with every delightful meal Margot voluntarily gave John, he saw a little more of her inner spark fade away. At their core, human beings were nothing but a collection of memories. And John was, measure by small measure, killing her. She was so strong, his Martian, but inevitability would end her sooner or later.

Still, with the House closed and the months passing far too fast, John began to make plans. As soon as the door opened, Seth would be the first to go. At first, it had been nice to have an ally, someone who understood the intricacies of the House. What was at stake for those who inhabited it, prey and predator alike.

John knew all fathers were supposed to hate their daughter's boyfriends, but Seth, despite his pleasant and charming exterior, was no better than the rest of the memory eaters. Seth was actually worse because he had no excuse for his behavior. Everything he did was done out of pure humanity.

Despite how lovingly Margot looked at him, Seth was just another monster in human skin. He played on Margot's emotional insecurities, slipping into the ever-expanding gaps in her memory. Made himself all important to feed his ego. There was no denying Seth's cold heart. John saw it in the way he treated hollowed out humans. How Seth had seemingly lost nothing of himself since settling in the House. It was unnatural.

Margot didn't see it. She was too close, too desperate to hold onto some semblance of normality. Seth can do no wrong in her eyes. Still, the moment he stopped being useful to Margot, John was ready and willing to act. To bury Seth in a dark deep hole. Eat every memory of him to prevent Margot any further pain.

John wondered at times when it came down to it, who Margot would allow herself to forget first, him or Seth.

Since coming back to the House, he felt more himself than ever. Every meal he consumed, John became more then he'd been previously. The memories Margot sacrificed reinforced his identity, which brought with it a special kind of hell. A father that preyed on his daughter. In John's eyes, there was nothing worse.

Eventually, despite holding himself back from indulging his desires as often as possible, Margot would be naught but an empty shell, doomed to aimlessly wander the suburban landscape of the House. Another victim in a long endless line.

John would do anything to prevent such a fate.

Anything.


End file.
